The Press., 1887-06-30


 Times Charles N. Allen and Thomas O. Bugbee were associated together in busi- ness for number of years in the town of Putnam in this state. MT. Allen was pre- viously & clerk for MI. Bugbee. They carried on the hardware business together, and by. their united efforts they were suc- ceesful and they also gained the reputa- ion of upright and enterprising merchants. MT. Allen had many friends, and he was so popular that he was on several occasions elected to the legislature, though the party to which he belonged was in a minority in the town and he was useful and popular member. ME. Bugbee was the senior member of the firm, and after 8 series of successful years in business, signifed his intention to retire from the concern; and he gave to MT. Allen the good will of the business they had jointly established. But after while MT. Bugbee opened another store in the town, and of course spirit of rivalry sprang up between the former partners, and the rivalry ran into disagree ments. In the fall of 1886, MT. Allen, on account of ill health, sold out, and went to Florida. To his surprise his old part ner, shortly after, brought suit against him to recover $16, 900, which he claimed was due to him from Mir. Allen, and he claimed that Mir. Allen, during his part nerehip, had wronged him that amount. Mir. Allen and his friends, who were spread all over Connecticut, were astonished at this movement by MT. Bugbee. MT. AL len, though yet quite ill, came back at once to meet this unexpected charge The case was tried few days since, before Judge Fenn, in the superior court in this county. The books of the firm had been thoroughly examined by an expert, who testified to the facts. The court found that the balance due to Mir. Bugbee was $55. .46-not $16, 900, as claimed: and this balance came from small errors of the book keeper, at various times, during a period of fourteen years. Neither of the partners knew of these errors at the time of their settlement. and they were as like ly to be in favor of one of the partners as the other. This verdict of $55.46 shows that the friends of MT. Allen were not mis- taken in their confidence in his good char acter. The utter failure of MT. Bngbee was of course humiliating, and 1t is under stood that he will endeavor to carry the case to the court of errors on the ground that the judge ruled that the evidence of the expert who examined the books should be received instead of placing the books before the jury. Whether the case goes up or not MT. Allen is fully vindicated.
 The Providence Journal makes the fol- lowing statement, which seems to be ex- actly in accordance with the facts "The friends of the Indian will learn with much regret and misgiving that Commissioner Atkins is to select the agents who are to have charge of the allotment of lands un- der the Severalty law. MT. Atkins's whole administration of the Indian bureau has been not merely weak, but interruptions and corrupt. Especially in the matter of appointments he has been governed by nothing apparently but political considera- lions and the personal influence of appli- cants. The result is that the post traders and agents he has chosen have proved to be incompetent men who used their posi- ton for their own enrichment at the cost of mistreating and, Tn some cases, impov- erishing the Indians while not few of the teachers he has appointed have drag ged down the schools to utter ineff1ciency, and set back the progress of Indian educa- tion. It goes without saying that such a man cannot be safely trusted with the i'm portant appointments that now devolve upon him. The Severalty law is at best an experiment.; good deal of disappoint- ment is likely to be experienced in it's op- eration. But whatever success it is capa- ble of depends, in the first instance, on the wisdom, intelligence and discrimination of the agents now about to be appointed to execute it. The only hope that right men will be selected seems to lie in the fact that the Indian Rights Association and the strong public opinion which IS behind it may, after carefully scrutinizing the ap- pointments, have sufficient influence to prevent the more obvious blunders.
 Returns received at the headquarters of the Knights of Labor show that new constitution has been adopted by about three-fourths vote. Most of the opposi- ton shown was on account of section prohibiting the sale or use of intoxicating liquors at any of the meetings or gather ings of the members. Nearly all the Ger man assemblies voted solidly against this section. The new constitution gives the general executive board full power to set tle all strikes and disputes. The section, relating to trades assemblies provides that "any particular trade or calling may form national trade assembly by giving at least three months notice to each local as- sembly-the entire membership of which is composed of such trade-to attend q convention for the purpose of forming aFTnl1 national oaanr1aIalv 1s